New River Gorge National River Hunting Regulation

The National Park Service (NPS) is promulgating this interim final rule to authorize the continuation of hunting as it presently exists at New River Gorge National River (the park) in West Virginia. The park's 1978 enabling legislation gives the NPS discretionary authority to permit hunting in the park. An NPS regulation adopted in 1983 requires us to adopt an individual, or special, regulation for parks that have been authorized by Congress to permit hunting as a discretionary activity. This rulemaking creates such a regulation for the park. The rule assimilates the existing West Virginia State hunting program and applicable laws. The adoption of this rule will result in no changes to the way hunting has taken place since the park was authorized in 1978. The NPS is publishing this rule without a prior proposal because we believe this action is not controversial and we do not expect any significant opposition to this procedural action.